As indicated by the needs assessment, the Duvall State Prison Library the general and urban fiction collections are in need of improvement. Other subjects in need of expansion, as per inmate request, include true crime, human biology, and legal references. Due to the sensitivity of potential materials in true crime and human biology, all items considered for selection will be thoroughly evaluated to ensure compliance with Massachusetts Department of Correction standards. Inmates also identified nonfiction books (i.e. true crime, self-help, family planning, human anatomy/biology) and state/local periodicals as potential areas for improvement as well.
Library user needs
Duvall State Prison Library does seem to have a well-balanced collection already, but areas for potential improvement have been identified. The main goal is to constantly develop the collection by continuously adding to, and evaluating, the collection. Since some prisoners have longer sentences than others, the library aims to weed out outdated, unused, or overused items on a regular basis. This ensures that overall library satisfaction is maintained throughout the prison while also guaranteeing that every effort is made to prepare prisoners for successful reentry into their respective communities, thereby attempting prevent likelihood of recidivism.
Objectives
The main objectives sought in terms of changes to be effected as a result of this plan of action are to strengthen the general and urban fiction sections by adding quality titles to maintain prisoner satisfaction with the collection. Since these genres are among the most popular requests within the prison, it is imperative that we make every effort to increase the quantity of accessible materials. Another primary objective is to increase the number of legal materials that the prisoners have access to. This will be done in order to increase the probability of successful reentry of prisoners and lower rates of recidivism within the community. All of these changes should be made within prison library guidelines in an effort to increase overall prisoner well-being and positivity, so that violence and victimization decrease as a result.
Selection process
All materials will be vetted via reviews to determine whether they are appropriate for inclusion within the collection. All materials must also be vetted to ensure that they fit well within prison collection guidelines, so that nothing illegal or inappropriate (in accordance to said guidelines) is selected to be a part of the collection. Selected materials will be integrated into the collection and made known to the prisoners as soon as the acquisition process has been completed. Various book lists, reviews, recommendations, publications, etc. will be consulted as selection aids during this process and will be compared to similar collections from other correctional institutions within the Massachusetts Department of Correction.
Available resources
For the purpose of vetting and acquiring the materials to be added into the collection, resources available to ensure the process is completed successfully include human resources, such as the two full-time librarians, the Manager of Library Services, other library staff, and the institution’s warden. Legal references will also be consulted to certify compliance with all standards. External resources include book donations from prison book programs and outside adult literacy organizations, so that the prison library’s budget can be maintained more effectively.
Evaluation of success
After integrating the new materials into the library, a second survey should be conducted to see if the library can adequately quantify inmate satisfaction with the materials that have been added. Any increase in prisoner satisfaction would be considered a success, since that is the main goal. As collection development will be a continuous process, annual surveys (at the very least) should be implemented to ensure that prisoner satisfaction with the acquired materials is consistent and that all requests for materials made by prisoners are considered and vetted, whenever possible. Further evaluation of the library’s collection and user population will take place as seen fit by the staff of Duvall State Prison Library.
The legal titles from Nolo were selected in order to assist the prisoners in rehabilitation and successful reentry into society.
All other fiction and nonfiction were selected to fulfill the inmate requests, and were specifically selected from bestseller lists and other reputable selection aids to stimulate prisoner interest.
The high-interest/low-reading level books were selected for the purposes of being easy to read and also to engage prisoners in earlier stages of literacy.
Subscriptions to news databases and local papers were selected to fulfill the requests of prisoners to have access to more (local) news.
The ERIC book was selected so the law collection would have a reference fulfilling a need for recommended collections on file as well, so prisoners can access this knowledge on what they should be able to expect from the Duvall State Prison Library.
Part A: Collection development policy
Part B: Action plan
Collection areas identified for improvement
As indicated by the needs assessment, the Duvall State Prison Library the general and urban fiction collections are in need of improvement. Other subjects in need of expansion, as per inmate request, include true crime, human biology, and legal references. Due to the sensitivity of potential materials in true crime and human biology, all items considered for selection will be thoroughly evaluated to ensure compliance with Massachusetts Department of Correction standards. Inmates also identified nonfiction books (i.e. true crime, self-help, family planning, human anatomy/biology) and state/local periodicals as potential areas for improvement as well.Library user needs
Duvall State Prison Library does seem to have a well-balanced collection already, but areas for potential improvement have been identified. The main goal is to constantly develop the collection by continuously adding to, and evaluating, the collection. Since some prisoners have longer sentences than others, the library aims to weed out outdated, unused, or overused items on a regular basis. This ensures that overall library satisfaction is maintained throughout the prison while also guaranteeing that every effort is made to prepare prisoners for successful reentry into their respective communities, thereby attempting prevent likelihood of recidivism.Objectives
The main objectives sought in terms of changes to be effected as a result of this plan of action are to strengthen the general and urban fiction sections by adding quality titles to maintain prisoner satisfaction with the collection. Since these genres are among the most popular requests within the prison, it is imperative that we make every effort to increase the quantity of accessible materials. Another primary objective is to increase the number of legal materials that the prisoners have access to. This will be done in order to increase the probability of successful reentry of prisoners and lower rates of recidivism within the community. All of these changes should be made within prison library guidelines in an effort to increase overall prisoner well-being and positivity, so that violence and victimization decrease as a result.Selection process
All materials will be vetted via reviews to determine whether they are appropriate for inclusion within the collection. All materials must also be vetted to ensure that they fit well within prison collection guidelines, so that nothing illegal or inappropriate (in accordance to said guidelines) is selected to be a part of the collection. Selected materials will be integrated into the collection and made known to the prisoners as soon as the acquisition process has been completed. Various book lists, reviews, recommendations, publications, etc. will be consulted as selection aids during this process and will be compared to similar collections from other correctional institutions within the Massachusetts Department of Correction.Available resources
For the purpose of vetting and acquiring the materials to be added into the collection, resources available to ensure the process is completed successfully include human resources, such as the two full-time librarians, the Manager of Library Services, other library staff, and the institution’s warden. Legal references will also be consulted to certify compliance with all standards. External resources include book donations from prison book programs and outside adult literacy organizations, so that the prison library’s budget can be maintained more effectively.Evaluation of success
After integrating the new materials into the library, a second survey should be conducted to see if the library can adequately quantify inmate satisfaction with the materials that have been added. Any increase in prisoner satisfaction would be considered a success, since that is the main goal. As collection development will be a continuous process, annual surveys (at the very least) should be implemented to ensure that prisoner satisfaction with the acquired materials is consistent and that all requests for materials made by prisoners are considered and vetted, whenever possible. Further evaluation of the library’s collection and user population will take place as seen fit by the staff of Duvall State Prison Library.Part C: Selection of materials
Place of purchase
Additional distributors/resources